Frequently Asked Questions

There are probably as many ways to find out about 4-year schools as there are schools. Saddleback College's Counseling Services Office houses a collection of resources. Local libraries often carry college resources as well. Websites such as www.saddleback.edu/transfer can provide a wealth of general information on transfer. For anyone interested in campuses of the University of California system, connect to www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions. Those who are interested in the California State University System can connect to www.csumentor.edu. Independent Colleges also have a wealth of information and you can connect to www.aiccu.edu.

Saddleback College is an accredited institution making its courses recognized by other institutions. Depending on the individual institutions requirements, there should be no reason why an equivalent class taken at Saddleback College could not be considered for transfer.

The 4-year institution will sometimes accept Credit/No Credit grades. However, required courses for the general education or major should not be taken in this manner. Check with the transfer institution for more information.

This is an important issue that requires your careful attention. All California community colleges have lists of their courses that will transfer to the CSU or UC campuses at the website www.assist.org. If you are transferring it is important that you consult with the campus to which you are planning to transfer to gain assistance with identifying the specific course necessary to meet the transfer requirements. That institution will make the final decision on what will count toward your 4-year degree. You may also consult your college counselor for assistance in determining which courses will be accepted for transfer credit.

Specific regulations vary from college to college, however, as a general rule, for the California State University and University of California systems the maximum number of units accepted for transfer will be 70 semester units. (105 quarter units) If applying to a private university the maximum of units will vary, please check with the specific university.

CSU's and UC's will accept a maximum 70 semester units towards the total number of units needed to complete your bachelor's degree; however, if you have taken more units than 70 units, the content of the courses will often be used to satisfy needed requirements.

The minimum GPA needed to transfer to a California State University (CSU) is 2.0.
The minimum GPA needed to transfer to the University of California (UC) is 2.4.
The GPA needed for transfer to private colleges varies so please check the college catalog. Some majors and some colleges are impacted and will require higher GPAs for admission.

GE or General Education is a program of courses in the arts and sciences that provides a broad educational experience. Courses are usually introductory in nature provide students with fundamental skills and knowledge in English, arts, humanities, mathematics, social sciences, physical and biological sciences. Saddleback College offers General Education Plans for completion of the Associates degree, UC , CSU transfer and some Independent Universities.

IGETC, Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum, is a general education program which community college transfer students can use to fulfill lower-division general education requirements in either the CSU or UC systems. You must complete the entire IGETC in order to have it accepted as meeting the general education requirements at the transfer institution. IGETC is not recommended for some majors at some UC campuses.

Certification of CSU GE or IGETC is an important step in the transfer process. The certification of GE is the official notice verifying that a transfer student has completed courses satisfying lower division general education requirements.

The certification is separate from a student transcript. The request for certification of CSU GE or IGETC is done at the time you request transcripts be sent to the transfer school. To be certified, all courses on IGETC must be completed with a grade of C or better. The CSU GE pattern can be certified in some areas with a D or better.

An associate degree is a degree granted by a community college to students who complete a specified program of study, usually totaling 60 units. A bachelor degree or baccalaureate is a degree granted upon completion of at least 120 semester units or 180 quarter units. Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science Degrees are offered by the California State Universities, the University of California and private four-year colleges and universities.

Lower division courses are offered for freshman and sophomore level credit. All courses offered at a community college are lower division courses. Upper division courses are offered for junior and senior level credit. These courses are not offered by community colleges.

Articulation is the process of evaluating courses to determine whether coursework completed at one college will meet the requirements for admission, transfer credit, general education, or major preparation at another college.

The articulation agreement simply makes the transfer of credit proceed quicker. If your transfer school does not have an agreement with Saddleback College, classes will be evaluated for transfer on an individual basis.

It is crucial that you choose a major before transferring. In most cases you will be required to have major preparation completed before you transfer. Universities will recommend that you have preparation for major courses prior to transfer, to ensure an easier transition to their institution.

The California State University (CSU) is the system of higher education in California that grants the most bachelors degrees. The CSU campuses also grant masters and some doctorate degrees. The University of California (UC) is the research system of public higher education in California. The UC grants professional and doctorate degrees, as well as bachelors and masters degrees. The CSU has a more practical, career-oriented approach to education in contrast to the more theoretical approach offered by the UC.

It is important to follow all deadlines and apply to the universities on time. For the CSU system the FALL application deadline is October-November 30th for the following academic year. For the UC system the Fall application period is during the month of November for the following academic year.

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